katamaran78 has created “Galactica: Sabotage”, a remake of Spike Jonze‘s now classic music video for the Beastie Boys song Sabotage, but edited together using footage from Battlestar Galactica. I was very impressed how the video was copied almost shot-for-shot, so much so the creator also released a side by side comparison of the two videos. Both of which can be viewed, after the jump.Read More »

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If you’ve been reading /Film for a while, then you know my obsession with minimalistic movie poster design. We’ve featured many of these simple 2-4 color streamlined posters on the site in the past, but never anything having to do with television. Graphic artist Albert Exergian has created a bunch of minimalistic posters for some of television’s most popular shows. And while these aren’t as conceptually clever as what I’m used to, I can still appreciate many of these. I’ve included a sample after the jump. You can buy prints of many of these posters for £50.00 on Blanka.

Not too long ago, we ran a Bohemian Rhapsody parody starring The Muppets, and now we’ve come across another parody of the classic Queen song — this time based on the Battlestar Galactica ‘verse. It’s a pretty hilarious lyrical spin on the series, and fans will find a lot to love. BSG virgins, and those still working through the show, should steer clear however. It’s chock full of spoilers right up until the end of the series.

This Week in DVD & Blu-ray is a column that compiles all the latest info regarding new DVD and Blu-ray releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy and Fry’s.

ORPHAN This movie is balls-out insane, in the best way possible. I remember watching the trailer several months back and shaking my head, wondering when we’d finally escape the overused “evil child” horror formula. Having now seen the film, I’m happy to admit that I judged too soon: This may be the best entry in the genre yet. That’s not to say it’s perfect; I could’ve done without the obligatory jump scare tactics, and many of its plot points will feel very familiar if you’ve seen this type of movie before (it was especially jarring for me, having recently saw Joshua, in which Vera Farmiga once again played the mother to a psychotic child… I take it Vera Farmiga is pro-choice?). Put aside those minor issues though, and you’re left with one of the weirdest, ballsiest, most uncomfortably funny (perhaps unintentionally so?) horror flicks to be released by a major studio in quite some time. I’m not surprised that critics were split on it, because it’s not the easiest film to categorize. The first half of the movie is mostly slow-burn drama with moments of eerie intrigue foreshadowing what’s to come. The events play out more like a psychological thriller than your typical horror film. Just when you’re getting comfortable with the film’s ominous tone and pace, the crazy kid factor kicks into full gear, and the movie transforms into a heart-pounding exercise in sadism and glorious absurdity. Some may be disappointed to find the film devolve into unapologetic B-movie trash (albeit extremely well done trash), but given that so much of the movie’s effectiveness is due to it taking the time to build to the insanity instead of just using it as a starting place, you can’t exactly fault the film for choosing that method to unveil its true intentions. And why would you want to? So much of what makes the film unique and rewarding is a result of the crazy directions the story eventually takes. I don’t want to spoil what some of those directions are, but let’s just say that there’s a reveal toward the end of the movie that’s guaranteed to make you reevaluate everything that’s come before it. There’s also a strong focus on the two other children, a risky choice that generates a number of arm-rest-clawing moments of intensity. Deserving much of the credit for these scenes is Isabelle Fuhrman, who gives a fantastic performance as the psycho-girl Esther. Somehow, Fuhrman is fully believable in a role that calls for her to be far more intelligent than every other character in the film, and equally as sinister. With the entire movie basically hinging on a young actress being capable enough to handle the part, it’s impressive that Orphan managed to be anything other than a disaster, let alone the wonderfully deranged horror/thriller that it ultimately became.Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: DVD – Additional scenes and an alternate ending. Blu-ray – Everything on the DVD, as well as a Mama’s Little Devils: Bad Seeds, Evil Kids and Orphan featurette, and a digital copy of the film.

Update by Editor Peter Sciretta: Entertainment Weekly has confirmed this report with Universal Pictures — Bryan Singer is signed on to direct a feature film version of Battlestar Galactica, which isn’t expected to be a continuation of the most recent Ron Moore Sci-Fi channel television show, but instead a complete re-imagining of the original 1970’s series. Original report follows below.

This Week in DVD & Blu-ray is a column that compiles all the latest info regarding new DVD and Blu-ray releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy and Fry’s.

Please don’t take the commentary on the movies and TV shows too seriously, as they’re meant not to be reviews but rather previews that include the general thoughts and ramblings of a twice-committed DVD addict. The categories represent solely the author’s intentions towards the films at hand, and are in no way meant to be a reflection on what he thinks other people should rent or buy. So if he ends up putting a movie you like in the “Skip it” section without having seen it, please keep in mind that the time you could spend leaving a spiteful but ultimately futile comment could instead be used for more pleasant things in life. Like buying DVDs.

DOLLHOUSE (SEASON 1) Initially, my expectations for this show were minimal. Based on the episodic nature of the underwhelming pilot episode, the most I was hoping for was an exercise in genre-bending, utilizing the alternating personality imprints of Eliza Dushku‘s character as a way to switch from action to drama to romance on a weekly basis. …That didn’t really happen. For the most part, the show sticks firmly to its sci-fi/action/thriller genre roots. What we got instead though, is something much more rewarding. As the show progresses and the story begins to unfold, it’s evident that Joss Whedon was finally allowed to tap into the potential of the premise. In many ways, the show becomes a study of the human condition, exploring the possibilities and limitations of the mind and what it is that defines who we are. The weak link, sadly, is Eliza Dushku, who isn’t even convincing as one character, let alone several. She holds back what’s otherwise a deeply compelling sci-fi series.Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: DVD & Blu-ray – Commentary by Joss Whedon on 3 episodes, the never-before-seen standalone episode “Epitaph One”, the original unaired pilot “Echo,” deleted scenes, and making-of featurettes (“Making Dollhouse”, “Coming Back Home”, “Finding Echo”, “Designing the Perfect Dollhouse”, “A Private Engagement”).

Last night, the Academy of Science-Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films held the 35th annual Saturn Awards. The Dark Knight was the big winner of the night, taking home five awards, including Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film, Best Supporting Actor (Ledger), Best Writer, Best Music and Best Special Effects. Iron Man, Battlestar Galactica, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button each won three awards. A full listing of winners is available after the jumpRead More »

During this week’s episode of the Totally Rad Show, Alex Albrecht theorized that one of the many reasons Terminator Salvation didn’t work for him was because he believes that the concept of machines or technology rising up against humanity has been done so many times before, that it is no longer valid (I’ve included an excerpt from the show after the jump).

How can a story work on the same level of the first Terminator film, when the machines and technology are no longer scary. Even in the critically acclaimed Battlestar Galactica television series, the Cylons weren’t even scary (It should be noted that the show worked on many other dramatic levels, but it never tried to be a thriller).

Or could it be that we’ve reached a place where both the animatronic and computer generated machines no longer look real? And maybe the same could be said about technology. We now live in a technology-infused world, and the evil tech in films like Eagle Eye just ring false.

Terminator Salvation aside, lets have a discussion. In this post-Matrix world, is the story of humans having to defend themselves against scary machines and evil technology a thing of the past?Read More »